Heart Rate Variability in Schizophrenia and Autism
Suppressed heart rate variability (HRV) has been found in a number of psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia and autism. HRV is a potential biomarker of altered autonomic functioning that can predict future physiological and cognitive health. Understanding the HRV profiles that are unique t...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-11-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.760396/full |
| _version_ | 1830286869346123776 |
|---|---|
| author | Sarah M. Haigh Sarah M. Haigh Tabatha P. Walford Pat Brosseau |
| author_facet | Sarah M. Haigh Sarah M. Haigh Tabatha P. Walford Pat Brosseau |
| author_sort | Sarah M. Haigh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Suppressed heart rate variability (HRV) has been found in a number of psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia and autism. HRV is a potential biomarker of altered autonomic functioning that can predict future physiological and cognitive health. Understanding the HRV profiles that are unique to each condition will assist in generating predictive models of health. In the current study, we directly compared 12 adults with schizophrenia, 25 adults with autism, and 27 neurotypical controls on their HRV profiles. HRV was measured using an electrocardiogram (ECG) channel as part of a larger electroencephalography (EEG) study. All participants also completed the UCLA Loneliness Questionnaire as a measure of social stress. We found that the adults with schizophrenia exhibited reduced variability in R-R peaks and lower low frequency power in the ECG trace compared to controls. The HRV in adults with autism was slightly suppressed compared to controls but not significantly so. Interestingly, the autism group reported feeling lonelier than the schizophrenia group, and HRV did not correlate with feelings of loneliness for any of the three groups. However, suppressed HRV was related to worse performance on neuropsychological tests of cognition in the schizophrenia group. Together, this suggests that autonomic functioning is more abnormal in schizophrenia than in autism and could be reflecting health factors that are unique to schizophrenia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T04:06:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ba0fc7999280497d8a03109da9be6492 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T04:06:06Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-ba0fc7999280497d8a03109da9be64922022-12-21T20:36:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402021-11-011210.3389/fpsyt.2021.760396760396Heart Rate Variability in Schizophrenia and AutismSarah M. Haigh0Sarah M. Haigh1Tabatha P. Walford2Pat Brosseau3Department of Psychology and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United StatesSuppressed heart rate variability (HRV) has been found in a number of psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia and autism. HRV is a potential biomarker of altered autonomic functioning that can predict future physiological and cognitive health. Understanding the HRV profiles that are unique to each condition will assist in generating predictive models of health. In the current study, we directly compared 12 adults with schizophrenia, 25 adults with autism, and 27 neurotypical controls on their HRV profiles. HRV was measured using an electrocardiogram (ECG) channel as part of a larger electroencephalography (EEG) study. All participants also completed the UCLA Loneliness Questionnaire as a measure of social stress. We found that the adults with schizophrenia exhibited reduced variability in R-R peaks and lower low frequency power in the ECG trace compared to controls. The HRV in adults with autism was slightly suppressed compared to controls but not significantly so. Interestingly, the autism group reported feeling lonelier than the schizophrenia group, and HRV did not correlate with feelings of loneliness for any of the three groups. However, suppressed HRV was related to worse performance on neuropsychological tests of cognition in the schizophrenia group. Together, this suggests that autonomic functioning is more abnormal in schizophrenia than in autism and could be reflecting health factors that are unique to schizophrenia.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.760396/fullautismschizophreniaheart rate variabilityelectrocardiographyautonomic functioning |
| spellingShingle | Sarah M. Haigh Sarah M. Haigh Tabatha P. Walford Pat Brosseau Heart Rate Variability in Schizophrenia and Autism Frontiers in Psychiatry autism schizophrenia heart rate variability electrocardiography autonomic functioning |
| title | Heart Rate Variability in Schizophrenia and Autism |
| title_full | Heart Rate Variability in Schizophrenia and Autism |
| title_fullStr | Heart Rate Variability in Schizophrenia and Autism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Heart Rate Variability in Schizophrenia and Autism |
| title_short | Heart Rate Variability in Schizophrenia and Autism |
| title_sort | heart rate variability in schizophrenia and autism |
| topic | autism schizophrenia heart rate variability electrocardiography autonomic functioning |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.760396/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sarahmhaigh heartratevariabilityinschizophreniaandautism AT sarahmhaigh heartratevariabilityinschizophreniaandautism AT tabathapwalford heartratevariabilityinschizophreniaandautism AT patbrosseau heartratevariabilityinschizophreniaandautism |